My career began in the hotel and tourism industry, working in operations and management roles across a variety of companies and locations.
I have also been in project management roles for the development, refurbishment and construction of hotel outlets and restaurant concepts.
For the last seven years I have worked in a different industry and have been General Manager of a unique project in Lisbon. The goal of the project was to set up a company that would build and operate the Lisbon cruise port; increasing the traffic and quality of services provided. The project has been internationally recognised and awarded the best European Cruise Terminal six times in a row and is now a case study within the industry.
The decision to study an MBA is huge, which is why I needed to make sure it was the right time in my life to take on this challenge. I had been thinking about it for about 3 years, but as my professional career was advancing, I knew it was time to update my knowledge and widen my perspective of management. The MBA has not just been a personal ambition but also the best academic aid to my career development.
When I did my research, the Global Executive MBA was the perfect fit for me. The flexibility and methodology of the teaching was exactly what I was looking for and I loved that I would have the opportunity to experience different business locations during the programme. The Global Executive programme is designed for executives from different industries and the combined knowledge and multi-cultural work experience in the class is a great asset to the programme. I have found from my experience so far that it allows you to understand everyone’s challenges and then use them as case studies, providing a holistic view of a variety of industries.
When I knew the time was right to pursue an MBA, I did a lot of research around schools before making my final decision of Manchester. I wanted to choose a programme that I could identify with and I did a vast search of programmes across the globe. After my extensive search I selected Alliance Manchester Business School as it was the best value for money and the teaching style was how I imagined an MBA should be. One of the most important considerations that supported my decision to embrace the Manchester MBA was that it is one of the top MBAs in the world. I also liked the idea that I had the option to take classes in one of the 5 Manchester global centres, making it one of the most international MBAs in the market.
Before I began the programme, I set myself expectations of how I would follow the schedule and engage with the topics. However, once I got to Manchester and immersed myself in the programme, I realised the networking, friendships and discussions with peers and teachers are the most gratifying knowledge acquisition tools we will encounter on this programme. This practical approach will support us to overcome the challenges and assignments of the MBA. I have soon realised this is not going to be a 1-man job it is more an 18-month teamwork assignment. I am hoping by the end of the MBA that I will be able to understand circumstances, identify issues and enhance my critical thinking with strategic views, alongside a more rounded view of business.
I started my Manchester journey in January 2022. The first week was an amazing experience, meeting the cohort who are from different parts of the world. The workshops are intense, but they go by quickly. The topics discussed, the interaction between the teachers and the different experiences of the class just make the time fly by as everything is so engaging and interesting. The scariest moment but also the most rewarding experience was the first interaction with the group assignment. Nobody knew each other and we only had a few hours to complete the assignment. The methodology that everyone brought to the table was amazing, being able to adapt to the different cultural and professional backgrounds and also different ways of thinking, deciding who will take on each role in the group in such a limited amount of time was such a new experience that I really enjoyed.
